Count Down

I have officially begun the count down to heading home.  Only nine days as of tomorrow left here in sunny Arizona.  We've had several 100 degree days but I really don't mind them.  On the other hand, I am not looking forward to the humidity in Indiana.  I would take the 100 degree days here to 80 and humid any day!!

And there is the broken bone in my leg/ankle.  I guess the bone is healed, I have to go back for a final xray but it feels great.  The sprained ankle part though, still gives me some trouble.  I couldn't do any dog grooming for three weeks.  Of course by now, most of the snowbirds are gone so I only have a grooming job once or twice a week now which is fine by me.  So things are slowing down here to say the least.  

I am trying to take advantage of these last several days to relax before dad and I head back.  There will be lots to do there now that dad has purchased a home and he has nothing to go in it.  And I do mean nothing!  No kitchen stuff, towels, furniture, nothing.

But I'm sure that will be fodder for my blogging life once I am dealing with it.   In the meantime, I thought I would show you pictures of what I am enjoying......for now!

This is the gorgeous pool and Community Center at our place.  There are a few people in the water on the other end but again, so many people are gone that often you might be the only one here. 

That is a huge Saguaro cactus.  They grow straight and tall for 70 years before they get their first 'arm', so this guy is pretty old.  

 And then.....there's me!  You can probably detect that my right ankle is still swollen.  Oh....and I painted my toenails to make me feel better when I was wearing that heavy black boot!!  


I hesitate to share these photos with you all.  Don't want you to think I'm bragging.  It's not usual for me to sit and relax like this and trust me, in the height of the winter season, I am rarely down here because there are so many dog grooming appointments.  


But I must say......I am enjoying it......for a few more days!

Packing it In

Won't be starting any rug hook projects until sometime after I get back to Indiana.  Have less than two weeks left in Arizona and I am starting to organize to leave which means packing up my hooked projects, wool, frame, cutter and all that good stuff. 

My latest project is not done but will finish it after I get back and settled in.  Not sure when that will be as I will have a lot to do getting dad and I settled into the house he has purchased back there.  Lot's of shopping to be done for all kinds of stuff so it may take me while to hook again.  Although, my sister-in-law is looking forward to coming over and having a 'hook-in' with me!  Dad's new place is about five minutes from her so that will really be fun to have someone to work with! 

Here are pictures of my latest project.

 

I haven't decided if I will finish this one as a pillow or a hanging mat.  Leaning towards a pillow but it might be too big.  The finished size is 16" x 20".   

Any thoughts? 

Seeing Red

I went from green to now obsessing over red!

And it's not even Christmas yet!!!  

Gheesh.....I hope I sell some of these things because I have so many more colors I want to try making!!!

Going Green

Been feeling a little green lately!

No not green around the gills.....green around the neck!

 I love my new sewing machine and I LOVE sewing dog collars!

 I even found some watermelon green bandannas to print "Adopt Me" on for Rescue dogs and cats!  Quite the change from my usual flamboyant yellow/orange tie dye bandannas I usually sell!.  

What can I say....a girl needs a change once in a while!

Still no Grass Growing Here

Wow!  It's been a whole week since I have posted.  That's not like me.  I truly have been busy, just not on the computer.

And....I was waiting until today to make sure that all was going well.  You see, today begins another life change for me.  Changes in my life are so much more common since my mom passed away five years ago.  More than I would like them to be.  However, we don't always have a choice in the changes that come our way.  

If you are a regular reader you might remember a past posting about not knowing what to do and where to go when dad and I leave Arizona to go back to Indiana for the summer.  We were in a pickle because Mr. Fix-it's children had moved back home and although our house in the country is fairly large, I think it would have been too much for dad.  There is a daughter, a granddaughter, a Rottweiler, possibly a fiance, as well as his son living there now.  Discussing it with dad who is almost 83, he decided he really didn't want to go back to my house.   I can't blame him, that's a lot of energy going on in one place.  

So, after much debate and research.....dad has bought a summer home back there.  It's been an interesting process and I'm sure will continue to be.  I am relieved that dad will now have a home again "back home again in Indiana".  But it also means more change for me since he can't live alone.  It means I won't be going back to my house, or what we call, FenceRow Farms.  It means I won't be living in the country.  I am having a really hard time with that concept!!!

More later!

No Grass Growing Here!

It's true I am in Arizona and there is very little grass here except for the finely manicured golf courses.  But I'm not talking about that kind.  I'm  talking about the kind that grows under your feet.   

Even though I have been out of commission with this broken bone in my leg, I can't stand to be unproductive.  So....I sit and be productive!  Making dog collars and things to sell on Ebay and Etsy.  Hope you enjoy the photos.

A Pug key chain

A Greyhound keychain

 Paw Prints and Dog Bone Keychains

   Small Dog or Cat Collars

 Bigger Dog Collars

And another

I completed three of these today for a custom order!  And....they want collars for Halloween and Christmas too.

I am having so much fun making these.  And nope....there's no grass growing under my broken bone!!

Globe Rocks!!

I've always been fascinated with rocks.  When I was growing up I had grocery bags full of my specially collected rocks.  I don't know what I thought I would ever do with my collection but it lived in those paper bags (you know, the OLD time ones before there were non-biodegradable plastic ones) in my closet.  

I don't remember throwing them out, but I guess at some point I must have because I don't have them anymore.  Thank goodness!  Well at least not those ones anyway.  The urge to collect rocks still overcomes me today.  Weird I know.  I am always looking at the ground and picking up an unusual stone.  Today I was on a cleaning frenzy and had to throw some outside that I had 'found' a couple of years ago!  

On my recent excursion to Globe and the Besh-ba-Gowah Indian Ruins I was in my element being surrounded by the long gone village of stone.  Of course, I took pictures of them.  

 

 This was at one time an entrance to a storage room

 

 This was living quarters or another storage area.  

This is just a rock on the side of the structure.  I love that rock!  The color stria-ting through it, the texture!  It's just so earthy.  Yep, weird!

 

Another room.

I don't know what it is that fascinates me so!

More Globe Hopping Photos

We stopped at Subway and ate at the ruins.  Judy E. in the green and Judy and Jan, on the right.  They are the two bandits that stole me away!!

Beautiful flora and fauna on the museum site.

 Snapdragons and Pansy's in the desert!

 

Love the shadows on this photo!

Even the desert Cholla and Prickly Pear cactus were beautiful.

And roses!!  Who would have thought to see roses in the desert!!

Globe Hopping

I went around the Globe in 80 days!  Well....not the world and....it was only for part of a day....but it was Globe non-the-less. 

My good friends Judy and Jan, got me out of the house, crutches and all, last week and we took a road trip up the mountains to sight see in Globe, Arizona. 

The drive has some spectacular mountain views and comes complete with a trip through the Queen Creek tunnel.  

Located in the middle of the Tonto National Forest, Globe is known for it's copper mining.  Copper is still actively mined there today.

Our destination was the Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park. Here you can walk through an ancient village inhabited from A.D 900 to A.D 1100 by the Hohokam tribe before they disappeared.   

Later, around 1225 A.D., the Salado Indian tribe moved in and constructed the Pueblo seen at the back of this photo.

 The ground level of the Pueblo was used for storage while the second story was living quarters.  Even the rooftop was used by the Salado's. 

I of course, nor did my companions, climb any of the ladders to the next levels!

 Maybe I'll come back and climb it when I'm no longer on crutches!!




 
There were many tiny rock 'room's outside the Pueblo.  Some were ceremonial rooms thought to have been used  as burial grounds for the 'ancients'.  Many of the tiny spaces remain un-excavated.

Oh, and yes, that's me on my constant companions, the crutches!  

Though I hate to have my picture taken, I decided I would allow myself to be immortalized, mostly to show my children they were right after all.  How in the world they knew that I didn't need either one of them to come out and help me in my time of need is beyond me!!  They are so smart!!  (Okay so maybe I did it thinking they might feel a bit guilty?)  

No matter!  My friends and I had a great day out while we traveled the Globe!!  Hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did.